H.
ROY
STEELE was a well-known figure in Camden for both his expolits
on the basketball court and as a tavern owner. although he
passed away in 1946, bars in both Camden and Somers Point NJ
that he owned bore his name into the mid-1960s.

Henry
Roy Steele was born in Riddlesburg, Pennsylvania on October 22,
1886 to a

butcher,
Jacob Steele, and his wife, the former Melissa Fluke. He was the
second of four children, coming after brother Homer B. Steele
and before younger siblings Mary and Ross E. Steele. The 1900
census shows the family living on Sixth Avenue in Homestead
PA.

A
fine athlete, Roy Steele played professional basketball for six
seasons in the western Pennsylvania-based Central Basketball
League, beginning with the 1906-1907 season. Roy
Steele had the reputation as a clutch shooter as well as a
team player. In 1906 with the Homestead Young Americans he
scored a 220 points in 29 games, the 7th most points
in the CBL. When the league increased its schedule to 70 games
the next season, 1907-1908, Roy Steele scored 455 points in 67
games, 8th highest in the Central League. In
1908-1909, Roy Steele, helped the Homestead Young Americans win
the CBL Championship with a 49-23 record. That season, Roy
Steele posted 412 points in 65 games, again 8th best
in the Central Basket Ball League. He
also played with the Butler
and Pittsburgh South Side teams of the Central league.

When
the Central league folded in November of 1912, many of the
circuit's best players, including Roy Steele, came over to the
Eastern Basketball League, which was centered around
Philadelphia. Roy Steele, Jackie Adams, Jimmy Brown, and Eddie
Dolin all eventually joined, and starred for the Camden
franchise of the Eastern Basketball League, and Camden native Eddie
Ferat, nearing
the end of his career also returned during the 1912-1913 season.
In
the better-financed Eastern Basketball League, Roy Steele played
with one of the best teams in the East, Camden of New Jersey.
The Camden team was known as the
Camden Alphas from 1912 to 1917, the Camden Crusaders from 1917
to 1921, and as the Camden Skeeters from 1921 until the league's
collapse in 1923.

Although,
he did not score as many points per games as before, his defense
made him a valuable member of the team. He remained with Camden
in the Eastern Basketball League until it folded in 1923. Roy
Steele played some games with Gloversville in the New York State
league and played one game with Camden during the 1912-1913
season. He split time between Gloversville and Camden the
following season as well, and also split time between Camden and
the Hazleton PA team of the Pennsylvania State League in
1915-1916. He played two games with the Paterson Crescents of
the Interstate Baslketball League during the 1916-1917
season.

Professional
basketball was for the most part shut down during the 1918-1919
season. Roy Steele played one game for the Nanticoke Nans of the
Pennsylvania State league during the 1919-1920 season. The
1919-1920 season for Roy Steele, resulted in his only
championship, as he played 37 games for the Camden Crusaders and
was seventh in the league in scoring. The
1919-1920 Camden Crusaders were champions of the Eastern
Basketball League, which was and is acknowledged by many to be
the leading professional basketball league of its time. His
teammates included star players like Jimmy
“Soup” Campbell, Neil
Deighan, Eddie Dolin, and Dave Kerr, and young local talents
Joe Hyde, Sam
Lennox, and Richie
Deighan. The team was owned by local businessmen Dr.
Charles B. Helm, W.
Penn Corson, who had also been Sheriff of Camden County. Roy
continued to play basketball in Camden until the Eastern league
collapsed on January 18, 1923. Roy Steele appeared in two games
for the
Paterson Legionnaires in the Metropolitan Basketball league in
1922-1923. He returned to Paterson for the 1923-1924 campaign,
when he returned to the Legionnaires for seventeen games. He was
37 years old when his professional basketball career came
to an end.

Ed
Wachter, a star player for several teams of the era, named Roy
Steele as guard on his third team all-time greatest teams of the
era, which is notable in that Wachter only played against Steele
for two seasons. Ed Ferat
was also named on Wachter's all-star that team.

Roy
Steele also played professional baseball on the minor league
level. He opened the 1908 season in the Pennsylvania and West
Virginia League in 1908 for the Clarksburg team, was released
and signed by the Connellsville Cokers of the same circuit where
he played first base.

Roy
Steele married Georgina "Jean" Orris on November 4,
1909. When he registered for the draft in 1918 he still made his
regular home in western Pennsylvania. His draft
card shows him living on the Boyd farm at Pitcairn, in
Patton Township, Allegheny County PA and working as a
farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Steele by that time had two children, with
a third on the way, who was born shortly thereafter. His younger
brother, Ross Emery Steele also was living and farming there.

The
Steele family came to the Camden area the following year. Both the
1920 and 1930 Census shows Roy Steele living in
Collingswood NJ with wife Georgina, daughter Edna, and sons
Bruce K. and Henry Roy Steele Jr. The 1920 Census shows the
Steele family living at 704 Grant Avenue in Collingswood NJ. Roy
Steele's Brother, Ross Steele, who had also played some
professional basketball, was living with them, as was teammate
Jimmy "Soup" Campbell. Both Steele brothers listed
their professions as machinists, while Campbell gave his as a
"general mechanic" at a shipyard. In January of 1920,
the stars of a champion professional basketball team still
worked day jobs to make ends meet! The Steele family was still
at the Grant Avenue address in April of 1930. Roy Steele was
then selling electrical supplies and not in the bar business.
This would indicate that he became involved shortly after that
point, as he was operating the bar, apparently under lease, at
28 Haddon
Avenue by the time the 1931 Camden City Directory was
compiled.

Roy
Steele's Crusader teammate Neil
Deighan had gone into the bar business in Camden, Joe
Hyde was literally born into the business, as his father
owned a bar in the Eight Ward. Before it was all said and done
Roy Steele, Jimmy "Soup" Campbell, and Sam
Lennox would all be involved in the bar business.

At
some point between April of 1930 and the compilation of the 1931
Camden City Directory, H. Roy Steele went into business at 28 Haddon
Avenue, which in later years would be known as the Century
Bar. In 1933 he bought a barge, built a log cabin on it, and
established a floating cafe in the Cooper River near South 18th
Street. By 1936 he had acquired a liquor license and opened bar
nearby, at 560 Carman
Streetin
the heart of downtown Camden. Prior to its conversion into a
bar, 560 Carman
Street had been the home of the Barret Tire Company as late
as March of 1932.
Roy Steele and his family would do business there through at
least 1959 under the name Roy
Steele's Tavern. His son Bruce K. Steele joined the family
business when he was old enough and managed Roy
Steele's Tavern for many years. Brother Ross Steele also
worked there as bartender.

Roy
Steele registered for the draft early in 1942. His World
War II draft card shows that he lived at 537 Benson
Street in Camden. He had by this time however, also acquired
a bar at the Jersey shore. The draft card of his brother Ross
showed him working as a bartender and also living at the Benson
Street address.

In
1939, Roy Steele traveled to the Somers
Point, New Jersey, looking for a new investment opportunity.
At the time Somers
Point was a sleepy little town that you passed through to
get to Ocean City. Roy found what he was looking for at 943 Bay
Avenue, an old tavern named "Stretch Inn". The
tavern had been owned and operated by Thomas Stretch.
Since he had passed away his widow, Bertha, had decided to sell
the Inn. Steele and Bertha Stretch entered into an agreement to
lease the inn for $40.00 a month for three years. The inn
was described in the lease as a Tap Room and Cafe, which was a
very accurate description. It suited Steele perfectly.
Above the bar was an apartment with five bedrooms, one bathroom,
dining room, living room and kitchen. The inn had one large room
with a huge bar in the shape of a ship. Behind this room was a
kitchen and storage area. Steele asked his son-in-law,
Elmer Blake, to come to the shore and help him manage the tavern
on Bay Avenue now known as Steele's Inn. So Elmer and his
wife Edna and their daughter Jean moved in above the bar with
their parents. Not long after this Steele's younger son
and his wife also made the apartment of Steele's Ship Bar home.
All those people and one bathroom, remarkable.

In these early years the Somers
Point bar was run like any other local tavern. Draft
beer, mixed drinks and a kitchen that served up sandwiches,
fries and great cole slaw. Edna Blake helped by serving
food to the patrons. She liked to tell the story about two
customers who came in and spoke with very heavy German accents
and she was convinced they were spies that had been landed by
submarine. Who knows- stranger things have happened.

In 1945, Roy Steele became very ill and was hospitalized much of
the time.He
passed away at Somers
Point on June
17, 1946 and left the bar that he had purchased to his wife
Georgina. Georgina continued to live with her family above
the bar. Mrs. Steele moving to Somers
Point, where
she resided till her death on November 27, 1955. Elmer and Edna
Blake ran Steele's Inn until the winter of 1965.

After
Roy Steele's death, his family remained in the tavern business
in Camden for many years thereafter. Bruce Steele, who
managed the Camden bar, Roy
Steele's Tavern,
made his home in Collingswood with his wife Lillian. Ross Steele
remained as a bartender and lived at 537 Benson
Street through at least the fall of 1959. The bar was still
open, as stated above, as late as the fall of 1959. Sadly, son
Bruce Steele died in Camden on October 13, 1961; his wife
Lillian remained a Collingswood resident until her passing in
1997. Ross Steele passed away in September of 1965. Roy
Steele's Tavern
had closed by 1970. When Carman
Street was
"erased" to make way for "urban
renewal" Roy
Steele's Tavern
went with it. The Walter Rand Transportation Center sits on the
land where Roy
Steele's Tavern
once lay.

The
New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association, in a one-day special convention,
passed resolutions flatly opposing inauguration of state-operated liquor
stores in New Jersey and asking the Legislature to grant State A. B. C.
Commissioner D. Frederick Burnett wider powers to enforce the Fair Trade
Act it was announced last night by Neil
F. Deighan, president of the association.

Deighan
reported the Camden and Jersey City delegations offered the only open
opposition to the resolution against the state stores. They argued,
Deighan said, that the association may be forced later to advocate state
stores to break up price cutting by package stores.

The
additional powers asked for Burnett are designed to break up price
cutting, Deighan pointed out.
He said the resolution asks setting of mandatory penalties, to be enforced
by Burnett, of 30 days suspension for the first offense and license
revocation for the second offense against the fair trade act.

Deighan
said he supported the anti-state stores resolution, both personally and as
president.

The
association, which met Monday in 'Trenton, also passed a resolution urging
that breweries be placed under the same Federal permit system as that
which now prohibits ownership of liquor selling establishments by
distillers.

Another
resolution continued a committee, authorized to select private brands of
whisky to bear the association's emblem and to be sold only by association
members.

The
association also passed a resolution disavowing criticism of Burnett as
expressed in quotations from Roy Dunn, counsel for the Original Tavern
Owners' Association of Newark, in the Newark News of January 28, went on
record as being "not in agreement" with the criticism, and
commended Burnett's administration. Deighan
said the resolution pointed out also that "the association
represented by Mr. Dunn is not affiliated with the New Jersey Licensed
Beverage Association."

A
resolution urging the display of "Buy American Whisky" signs in
taverns was passed also.

Deighan
was given a vote of confidence by the delegates when questions involving
administration policies was brought up, John Pennington, head of the
Camden Unit, reported.

Indicated
by the red dot, 565 Carman Street
lay just east of Broadway,
behind the Broadway (later known as the Midway) Theater. Roy Steele's
Tavern was directly across the street. To the left you
can see where the tavern and Carman Street lay in relationship to City Hall, the old Camden
County courthouse, and Camden
Catholic High School. All but City Hall were gone by the end
of 1961. The Parkade
Building had not yet been built.

More
about STEELE'S SHIP BAR in Somers Point, New Jersey

Much
has been written of the Point in the 1960's. The rock and roll bars, the
great music and the endless summer party. Steele's shared some of that,
but it's real era was the decade before--the fifties. The post-war
fifties was a gracious time when people wanted to forget the horror of
World War II and the Great Depression. It was like the whole
country could breathe a sigh of relief. The economy was booming
and so were families. It was a time that was right for
music, dancing and partying till dawn.

The
Ship Bar was quite plain on the outside. The only unique characteristics
were the front door that was wooden with a porthole window and the other
windows which were all port holes. Inside there was the main ship bar
complete with bandstand in the center. Surrounding the main bar were
four smaller bars. These were in the shape of docks which
completed the nautical theme. The walls behind these bars were
painted to resemble harbor scenes. They had all been created by
Elmer's friend Charlie Shane. In the later years, the front door
was replaced with a double glass front door. A side addition to
the original structure added three more side bars, bringing the total
number of bars to seven.

Over
the years many bands played in the bar. The first memorable
one was Dave Apple and the Applejacks. Bill Haley and his Comets
were there. A group called Dicky Doo and the Don'ts, Pete Carrol
and the Carrol Brothers and in the later years Mike Pedicin became the
regular attraction. These bands never took their audiences for
granted. They knew there was too much competition next door and
across the street. Customers could be lost very easily if the band
wasn't catering to what they wanted to hear.

The
band members constantly came up with new ideas and gimmicks to keep the
entertainment new. Mike Pedicin's band had an excellent drummer.
He would do a drum solo with his hands in white gloves and blue lights
shining on him. The house lights were turned down and the only
thing you could see were the hands flying. The only sound was a
magnificent drum solo. New acts and performers were always joining
the regulars on stage. The bands, however, were not the only
attractions at Steele's. There were the regular bartenders that
people came to count on for entertainment as well. Mac MacNamara was
there season after season. It was said that Mac once played with
the Boston Pops and wrote MacNamara's Band. Somehow he got sand in
his shoes and made his home at the Jersey shore. He would share
his gift on the violin with the whatever band happened to be appearing.
Patrons who were not regulars were always surprised when their bartender
suddenly joined the band and played his wonderful songs. There was
also the group known as the Cherry Sisters. This group would
consist of a group of younger bartenders dressed as women in feed sacks,
straw hats and scarves. They would also become part of the floor
show. Jim Ross was usually the lead singer of the Cherry Sisters.In addition to the regular bartenders, each year a
group of college kids would earn next year's tuition tending bar for the
summer at Steele's. This was the group that usually attracted the
younger female college students each summer.

Although
the Ship Bar was named a bar, it was really a night club. It
usually opened around noon. By day, fisherman would come in for a
couple of drafts. If it was a rainy day, you might get some of the
beach refugees. During the dinner hour the bar was very quiet.
The music would start at nine and Elmer would be there, in his white
dinner jacket, to great his guest. Those were the days when people
still dressed to go out for an evening. Ladies dressed to the
nines, men in their summer suits. There were three distinct groups
of customers. The first were natives of the area who would cap off
a day of fishing or golfing with an evening at Steele's. The
second were the Ocean City summer visitors that had finally worn the
children out on beach and boardwalk and now where looking for some great
entertainment. The last group were the college students out on the
town looking for summer romance. They would all come to Steele's.
Elmer used to joke that it was only a good house if those that fainted
had to remain standing up because there was no room to fall.

Elmer
was also part of the fun at Steele's. He always had a gimmick.
He would dress up as a trapeze artist in long johns and boxer shorts and
do a skit with the band. He'd walk into the bar on a busy evening
with a ladder, paint cans, overalls and at least one tooth blacked out
and just start painting. Everyone including the band would wonder
where this strange man had come from and what he was doing painting the
wall in the middle of a busy evening until they realized it was just
another of Elmer's gags. He advertised a special appearance of
Liberace and had a look-alike show up. He'd get on stage with the band
and lip-sync with the lead singer. Most of all he would entertain
people with great stories. He was a great joke and story teller
that genuinely enjoyed people.

In
the early days, one band playing was usually sufficient to keep the
crowd for the evening. As time wore on and Tony Mart's and Bay
Shores began to compete for the same customers, the music would have to
be constant or you could loose your entire crowd during a break.
So when one band would go on break another would pick up the music and
no one would notice the difference. The job of the entertainers
didn't stop at break time. Most of their breaks were spent
chatting with the various groups of regular customers. Everyone
wanted to be friends with the band and owner and be able to say they
knew so and so personally.

What
did Bay Avenue look like back then? It was very different from today. If
you were coming around the circle the first street that took you down to
the bay was Goll Avenue. At the corner of Goll and Shore Road
there was a billboard for Steele's. When it was put up, Mike
Pedicin was playing at Steele's. His lead guitarist was Sammy.
Sammy not only played guitar, he also charmed the audience with
"risqué ditties" and so earned the name of "Sexy
Sam". The billboard originally advertised Mike Pedicin
featuring "Sexy Sam". Since this was the fifties, the
sexy had to go. So for billboard purposes "Sexy Sam"
became "Suburban Sam". As you turned onto Goll Ave, you
would pass the old brick trolley station on your left and at the bottom
on the hill on your right was the Gateway. For a few glorious
summers it was the Gateway Theater. A summer stock theater that
had marvelous shows. When it was open they would use search lights
to attract people. If you followed along the Bay front the next
structure was a little pier and in the summer it magically became
"Ray White's Ski School" complete with ski jump for the braver
set. Bay Shores occupied the lot next to the Ski School. Next to
Bay Shores was a beautiful old seashore home that was called the
"Customs House".

In
summer The Customs House had the only front lawn on the corner.
Unfortunately, this home was subsequently torn down and replaced by a
miniature golf course and penny arcade. Completing the corner was
"Dick's Dock" featuring smelly bait and leaky boats.
Tony Mart's and Steele's Ship Bar were located across the street from
Bay Shore's, The Custom House and Dick's Dock. This was the
corner. In one day you could fish, crab, water ski, see a
Broadway show and dance, drink and hear great entertainment till the wee
small hours. (2:00 am for music, 3:00 am for drinks.)

Tony
Mart's was right next door to Steele's with only a narrow alley in
between. The alley was large enough for a dolly with a keg on it and
that's about it. The owner was Anthony Marotta. Although Marotta
and Blake were direct competitors they also had a great deal of
respect for each other. In the early days Tony Mart's employed a band
called Len Carey and the Kracker Jacks. They were quite an act. The lead
played saxophone and was also a contortionists of sorts. He would play
that horn from almost any position; it was amazing. As part of the
advertising for this band, Tony Mart's would give away boxes of Cracker
Jacks. Weekends in the summer on Bay Ave. were the best.

Each
of the bars had what they referred to as a jam session or matinee. From
3:00 to 6:00 the bands would play and people would come in casual
clothes to party. Rain drums were beaten on weekend afternoons to get
the Shoobies off the beach. The clubs would shake with the sounds of
"Someone's in the Kitchen with DinaHHHHHHHHH" "Alabama
Jubilee" and endless cheers as a new keg was tapped. After
the matinees, customers would go back to their rental houses, clean up,
have a little dinner at Mac's, Daniels, or the Bala Inn and be back in
time for the bands to start again at nine.

The
Summer season usually started on Easter Weekend. Many visitors and
locals would join the Easter Parade in either Ocean City or Atlantic
City and then spend their afternoon on Bay Ave. It was always fun
to see the ladies in their new Easter suits, bonnets and corsages.
Usually by the end of the day the suits were wrinkled, the flowers
wilted and the hats slightly askew but a good time was had by all.
Most of the places including Steele's were open on weekends from Easter
to Memorial Day. Memorial Day weekend became the official start of
summer and seven nights a week of rock and roll. Labor Day meant
the end of summer. The corner would go from noisy, crowded, brightly lit
to a ghost town the next day. The bands would play their last song and
say good-bye for the winter. The cars would leave the parking lot for
the last time and finally the band members would have all their
equipment packed up in their cars and leave. Summer was over and the
party at the corner ended for another season.